The Crime Suppression Division has arrested five Chinese people in Central Bangkok on charges of using fake credit cards to buy millions of dollars worth of gold and later exchanging it for cash.
Four of the Chinese were men named as Zu Jian, 42; Cui Yuan Chang, 31; Tan Guo Ping, 40; and Lui Shujin, 41. The sole Chinese woman in the gang is Zhu Gao Ping, 53.
They were arrested at two hotels in the Sathorn area on Friday and Saturday. Police seized a total of 182 electronic cards, credit card receivers, readers, numbering machine, three computer notebooks and 11 passports. The estimated damage from the gang's operation was put as high as 180 million baht.
Pol Co Phantana Nuchanart, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said police were alerted to two Chinese people using a fake credit card and a reported card to buy gold at a shop in Big C Ratchadamri on Friday.
When officers arrived at the shop, they detained Zu Jian. Another man had already fled the scene. A passport with his image was found under another person’s name. The police escorted him to his hotel where they found a number of fake credit cards.
The police found Cui Yuan Chang was about to drive a vehicle with a Chinese licence plate from the hotel and a vehicle search found some electronic cards and card producing equipment. He also had his image under other people’s names in passports.
Further investigation revealed the vehicle was rented by Tan Guo Ping who was staying at another hotel in the Sathorn area. A search of his room found fake credit cards. At the same hotel, the police also detained Zhu Guo Ping.
On Saturday, the police were able to detain Lui Shijin.
Under questioning, the suspects confessed that they had used fake credit cards and fake passports to buy gold and later exchanged the items for money. Then they would deposit the money at Kasikornbank and some overseas banks.
They had entered Thailand several times over the past eight months and usually stayed about one or two weeks on each trip.
All arrested suspects are charged with bringing in equipment or materials to make fake electronic cards.
Pongsit Chaichatpornsuk, senior assistant president on financial crime prevention and safety of Siam Commercial Bank, said the suspects usually used authentic credit card information from the internet to produce fake cards with real card numbers and bought high-value goods from shops.
The public should be careful when they use the credit cards, he warned.